German Chancellor: Arad is not alive

The German chancellor who took part in the negotiations operations between Israel and Hizbullah Biernid Schmidth Baro said that the missing Israeli pilot whose plane was downed in Lebanon in 1986 is not alive.

The Israeli Jerusalem Post yesterday said according to a copy from a documentary for the German WDR TV that German intelligence officials are convinced that Arad was killed in 1996 after the Lebanese fighters handed him over to the Iranians.

Commenting on these news, the office of the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon said that the ministry of defense is following up its efforts to know the fate of Arad and bring him back to Israel. The office said in a statement that Israel will do its best to find the facts over his ( Arad) painful incident."